That's OK.
As I reflected further on this question and read the Day 11 journal entry, this quote stuck with me:
"The pesky facts of poverty can bounce off of me. It's all so far away, the numbers are so big that they are just too much to digest (how many is a billion anyway?), and it's so much easier to just close my mind and move on."I think where we as individuals and as a community of faith are in danger of being careless with the poor is when it ceases to be personal. When we can check it off our list, blindly throw money at it, or develop a program that stands between us and the poor, we're being careless. At that moment we are but a breath away from an apathetic carrying out of our duty.
For Jesus, everything was personal. Reading the Gospels, Jesus seemed to have intensely personal relationships with the poor. Jesus was full of care for those in need. And Jesus had compassion, which means he did something about it.
We can't safely judge another's heart for the poor. But we can judge our own. We're called to do so. If Jesus is our standard (which he is) and not what others may or may not be doing, let's ask ourselves a tough question this week:
Am I in danger of being careless with the poor?
1 comment:
I really enjoyed last Wed night and the guest speaker. During her talk I could not help but get upset about the poverty going on in our own city. I guess i had really never thought to much about it. God without a doubt has called us to take care of the poor, so why are we so lukewarm about it? Some of us get what we are called to do,while others do not. Its not about ignoring the issue and barring are head in a magazine, it is about actively doing something about it. Hearts and Hands is a great work, but other than bringing food 3 or 4 times a year what else do most of us do. We as a church need to stop focusing on what people wear, how loud we clap,worrying about budgets and commitees and get on with doing Gods work. I am looking to see how this class reacts to Gods commands. Will we pay lip service and still sit by and do nothing? We must as a people of god rise up and demand our leaders to do so as well-doing anything less would be plain sinful. What will your response be???
Rob
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